Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen slammed Donald Trump’s claims to the island, insisting: “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders.” The fiery remark came after Trump said he might take Greenland “the hard way” if the US can’t strike a deal to buy it from Denmark.
Greenlanders Push Back: “Our Future, Our Choice”
Nielsen and Greenland’s top leaders released a rare joint declaration firing back at Trump’s threats. “No other country can meddle in this,” they declared. “We must decide our country’s future ourselves – without pressure, procrastination, or interference.”
The message is clear: Greenlanders want control over their destiny and won’t be bullied by big powers.
Trump’s Buy-or-Bust Gambit
Speaking on Friday, Trump said: “I’m going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.” He argued the US needs the Arctic giant to keep Russia and China out and insisted he preferred a deal “the easy way.” Still, he warned: “If we don’t do it the easy way, we’re gonna do it the hard way.”
The White House reportedly floated offers between $10,000 and $100,000 per Greenlander to encourage independence, with a $5.7 billion price tag on the table to buy the island from Denmark. Trump refused to rule out military action, saying the acquisition would happen “one way or another.”
Denmark’s No-Nonsense Warning
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was blunt: any US military invasion would end the NATO alliance. Trump fired back, claiming: “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have a NATO right now.”
Danish politicians from left to right have rallied Europe, urging allies to back Greenland’s sovereignty. Conservative MP Rasmus Jarlov said allied troops should be welcomed to raise the stakes against any American military move.
Left-wing leader Pelle Dragsted warned this would trigger armed conflict: “Trump can’t just land a helicopter in Nuuk and raise the US flag.”
A top secret Copenhagen source revealed Danish forces are legally required to “shoot first and ask questions later” if US troops attempt an incursion – a 1952 military rule still in effect to guard the island.
The High Stakes Arctic Chess Game
The US already has 100+ troops at the Pituffik Air Base in Greenland, with rights to bring more under existing defence agreements. Military analysts warn it would be alarmingly easy for Washington to seize the island given that infrastructure and legal access are established.
But the Greenland public is overwhelmingly against joining the US – 85% oppose it and most back independence. Meanwhile, only 7% of Americans support any military action in Greenland.
Trump’s hostile posture is sparking a diplomatic firestorm across Europe and the Arctic. The row risks deepening rifts between the US, Denmark, and NATO allies as tensions over the Arctic’s strategic future boil over.
